WTB: Nice E9

Eiremon

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Hi Everyone,

I just sold my E30 M3 (on the truck to South America today) and am considering my next move. I am a BMW CCA member and a diehard BMW fan having grown up with them and owned several. The E9 has always appealed to me so I am going to focus my search here over the coming weeks / months. I am not in a rush to buy but will act if the right car shows up. I am looking for a very clean, no-needs car which has been well taken care of. It does not have to be a best in show winner but should be able to stand it's ground in a show.

So - I am interested in opportunities to buy a nice 3.0 CS or CSi. I am now leaning towards a 3.5l / 5 speed conversion.

My budget is flexible - I realize I will have to pay over $40k for a nice car right now and perhaps more if the car is exceptional. Feel free to PM me with any info you have on potential sales. I am looking forward to joining the E9 club.

Thanks,
Alan (Eiremon)
 
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Stan

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Did you talk to Mario at VSR in Bow NH?
He may know of one
Other than that, look at Peter Coomaraswamy's CS or others for sale
 

Eiremon

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Thanks - I have not spoken to Mario yet. Mario and Chris did some good work for me on my E30.

I am curious about the different in collectability between the 2800 and the 3.0? From my quick searching it appears that they are essentially equal. I do find the 2800cs lettering to be a bit busy on the trunk lid - nitpicking!

Peter's car is stunning. Unfortunately my initial color preference is blue or black. Who knows - the condition of his car might trump my color preference but I have some time to find exactly what I want.
 
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Ohmess

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The 3.0 is more sought after according to Hagerty's (who insures my car), and other data I have seen. Many here, myself included, don't see the reasoning behind this, but it probably stems from the fact that the larger engine makes the 3.0 a little faster.

I think this distinction is going to fade over time as the number of good e9s goes down.

And as Stan says, if Peter hasn't already sold the car he just refurbished, I would look at that one. It was a very solid car, but was filthy when he got it. He basically took it all apart, cleaned it up, and put it back together.
 

shanon

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+1 to expanding search to basically a good 'E9'.
Then ask, are you collecting or driving it?

In today's E9 world, I'd seek the best shell, paint and interior possible knowing that mechanicals can be easily done anytime you and budget allow.

Btw, if ya get a 2800cs and remove the badge, hang onto it! They have become very difficult to find these days from POs upgrading cars to larger motors and re-badging it a 3.0 or larger. My 2800 was rebadged a 3.0 when acquired, I've since returned to 'as delivered to dealer' spec except for the hot 3.2L, C/R 5spd, coil overs, and rear discs conversions.... ;-)

Good luck with your search.
 
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HB Chris

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Welcome, those appear to be nice coupes so it's nice to know what you expect to spend for a good coupe. Based on your description it would be $40K and up, as always, by the best one.
 

Eiremon

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I updated the title and am open to considering the 2800.

In terms of collecting vs. driving - I will most likely put 1-2k miles per year on the car. I put $2k on my M3 but now plan on keeping an E36 M3 as an everyday car - further limiting my miles on any second car I own. I certainly would not pay a premium for a nice restored example and then drive it all of the time.

I have already had some interesting leads on some top tier cars but the asking prices are quite high. Some may deserve the asking prices, some may not. The good news is that it does appear that there are a number of options out there - certainly more than I am used to seeing with the E30 M3s.
 

Stan

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I updated the title and am open to considering the 2800.

In terms of collecting vs. driving - I will most likely put 1-2k miles per year on the car. I put $2k on my M3 but now plan on keeping an E36 M3 as an everyday car - further limiting my miles on any second car I own. I certainly would not pay a premium for a nice restored example and then drive it all of the time.

I have already had some interesting leads on some top tier cars but the asking prices are quite high. Some may deserve the asking prices, some may not. The good news is that it does appear that there are a number of options out there - certainly more than I am used to seeing with the E30 M3s.

I drive about 2-4K miles a year. That does seem reasonable if you plan to go to events such as Vintage in Saratoga or The Vintage in Asheville. If you have your coupe parked where you can access it easily you may find you take it out even more often. The large number of E9s for sale is a recent phenomenon. So take advantage of that and as Chris said, buy the best one you can afford. It will be worth it
 

Eiremon

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It's been a fun couple of weeks scouring the country for any/all available E9's. I have found several nice unlisted cars but all of them have high asking prices $60-90k.

So I am still looking...
 

Eiremon

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Hi Andrew - yes, I saw that one. My preference at this stage is to focus on a 3.0 cs/csi if I am getting an original car. I will consider modified 2800's with upgraded motors, trans, etc..

As you know the New England winter is fast approaching so I am not in a rush but will make a move for the right car. I was able to source two Coupe King cars in the Northeast. One should be coming to market in the next few weeks. Asking prices are simply too high on them so I will wait for the market to educate the sellers on their true value.

-Alan
 
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Eiremon

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The market can educate buyers about true value as well.

Good luck with your search!

Very true - no argument from me on that. The good news is that there are many resources / channels to explore to determine value - both for buyers and sellers. Obviously there are a ton of variables to consider with each car. None of them are the same so making value comparisons can be a challenge.
 

Peter Coomaraswamy

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Eirmon, even if not interested in my 2800 I would be happy to talk with you about it in the hope that you find the car you are looking for. My personal opinion (besides my car-which is the best!) is that for the next couple of years prices for comparable coupes will vary by as much as 12K, there have been a few forum members who have sold their coups for way under what I think they are worth, but if you go to ebay you will see cars selling for way more than they are worth. An ABSOLUTELY Thorough PPI is essential and a scope is a MUST for examining rust prone rockers, etc. I would only buy a car from a member or someone associated with this forum or possibly one of the other 1 or 2 respected BMW forums, and a BMWCCA member. We have all seen horrible cars sold for way too much and the worst part is that it costs 2X the sales price to make the car worthwhile. As said above, buy the best car you possibly can and body/structure condition is the #1 priority followed by the interior, all other things can be fixed easily.

Good luck!
 

Markos

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Another option is the buy the cheapest POS you can find. Spend all your time planning for a restoration that won't happen, chat on the internet non-stop, then sell the car after your partner threatens divorce if you don't remove the eye sore from your garage. Just sayin...
 

Eiremon

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Eirmon, even if not interested in my 2800 I would be happy to talk with you about it in the hope that you find the car you are looking for. My personal opinion (besides my car-which is the best!) is that for the next couple of years prices ....
Good luck!

Thanks Peter. I would be happy to chat and will reach out soon. I have spoken to several other members on the board and am already impressed by the community here. Everyone is accessible and happy to share information about the cars and the market. I 100% agree on the PPI and making sure the car is in good shape. I learned a lot with my E30 M3 and understand that even the best kept E9's are prone to some rust over time. I actually read that washing the cars can lead to water being trapped in random places - crazy!
 
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DWMBMW

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Another option is the buy the cheapest POS you can find. Spend all your time planning for a restoration that won't happen, chat on the internet non-stop, then sell the car after your partner threatens divorce if you don't remove the eye sore from your garage. Just sayin...

Markos,

I hope that is not true. You and the forum need you to complete your quest.

Doug
 

Eiremon

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Hi Doug -
Another option is the buy the cheapest POS you can find. Spend all your time planning for a restoration that won't happen, chat on the internet non-stop, then sell the car after your partner threatens divorce if you don't remove the eye sore from your garage. Just sayin...

Thanks Markos. I took your advice and put a deposit it on this one:

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1974/bmw/3-0/100815580

I was able to negotiate $750 off so I got a screaming deal. :)
 
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